As UN inspectors continue their work in Syria, opposition exiles gathered in Brussels on Monday to call for swift Western action to oust Bashar al-Assad.

Some 100 anti-Assad demonstrators gathered in the Belgian capital to protest against the regime’s alleged use of chemical weapons.

They say European powers must come to the aid of the Syrian people.

“We are asking for military intervention. We want the Europeans to protect the Syrian population, who are being massacred before the entire world. What happened to human rights?,” asked Rabih Chaar, a coordinator for the Syrian opposition in Belgium.

Georges Chachan, the leader of the Syrian National Council in Belgium, said the West must help rebuild Syria if Assad is removed from power.

“In reality, it’s about military intervention first and foremost so that what is happening in Syria does not spread across the whole region. But we need an intervention that goes further than taking Assad out; we need to help the Syrian people build a democratic country,” he told euronews.

The demonstrators sent a letter to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to urge the bloc to take action against the Assad regime.

A spokesman for Ashton on Monday declined to comment on reported British-American plans to launch air strikes on Syrian military targets.